Cost of Wii Accessories [Broken off from the Natal thread]

[ProgrammingAce]

I'm breaking this off of the Natal vs. Sony's mo-cap software thread because it's seriously off topic.

I think it's an important issue on the ownership of the wii, the accessories for standard play are more expensive then the console itself now.


Can you give us a breakdown [on how you spent $265 on wii controllers]?

Sure:

Wii Remote x3: $40 = $120
Nunchuck x3: $20 = $60
Classic controller x2: $20 = $40
Plastic Wheel x2: $15 = $30
Nyko Gun x1: $15

120 + 60 + 40 + 30 + 15 = 265

I haven't bought anything outrageous, just the standard accessories. They add up pretty quick. I didn't buy Wii Fit for an extra $90 or Wii Speak for whatever that sells for. You can call me stupid for buying extra wheels for mario kart, but i was having a party and thought the game might be more fun that way.

Add on Motion+ for 4 controllers and i'm looking at $345 just in standard controllers, putting my total wii expenditure at $555 without a single game (i got mine used without wii sports for $210 back in spring of '07).

Even at bare minimum, you're looking at spending $260 on 3 remotes, 3 nunchucks, and 4 Motion+. That's just to play the new games family style like they're designed.

Gaming is an expensive hobby to begin with, but the cost of accessories is getting out of hand. If Microsoft ends up putting Natal out at $200, i'm going to bitch at them too. If Sony puts out their Mo-cap software at anything near that price, i'm really going to bitch. Most of Sony's gimmick is post processing in software. There isn't really the huge hardware investment in their technology.

[Tupin]

Nintendo makes $5 on each Wii sold, they have to recoup it somehow.

That's the problem, systems are so expensive to make because of fancy processors, but accessories are cheap to make. Nintendo is one of the major companies that does this, but I think it's a bit excessive and sometimes I think they made the Nunchuck a separate purchase just so they had another thing you had to buy for a complete set.

[ProgrammingAce]

At launch, this was the price breakdown for the Wii:

Graphics chip: $29.60
CPU: $13.00
DRAM: $7.80
Optical disk drive: $31.00
Power supply: $11.30
Manufacturing cost: $19.50
Cost total: $158.30
Wholesale price: $195.99

So they were making $30 per console and the stores were making $50. After almost 3 years in production, i'm sure they've gotten the costs down substantally from there.

So they're making a healthy profit from the consoles themselves, then gouging on all the accessories on top of it.

I don't begrudge a company for making money, obviously the crap sells at this price. I've just had enough, i'm not spending another dollar on Wii accessories. It looks like that decision is going to keep me from playing any newr games after Motion+ takes off.

So overall, the wii was a giant waste.

[c0ldb33r]

PROTIP: Don't have any friends. That's what I do. It saves a load on controllers.

Multiplayer sucks anyway ... right guys? LOL

[Rob2600]

Here's my breakdown:

I own two Wii remotes, two nunchucks, two Wii wheels, one Zapper, one balance board, and one WaveBird.

One of the Wii remotes and nunchucks came with my Wii console. The Zapper, the balance board, the other Wii remote, and one of the Wii wheels were included with games (Link's Crossbow Training, Wii Fit, Wii Play, and Mario Kart Wii respectively). Total price = $460, including games and the Wii console.

That means I only bought one nunchuck, one Wii wheel, and a WaveBird separately. Total price = $65.

[BHvrd]

The icing on the cake would be an HD Wii model coming out and having to buy all the same accessories in HD format, that would be a riot.

[CDiablo]

I own 4 Wiimotes and 4 nunchucks and I have never had a 4 player experience using all 4 nunchucks

[Rob2600]

I own 4 Wiimotes and 4 nunchucks and I have never had a 4 player experience using all 4 nunchucks

Then why'd you buy them?

[aclbandit]

PROTIP: Don't have any friends. That's what I do. It saves a load on controllers.

Multiplayer sucks anyway ... right guys? LOL

Sorta like my setup, yep. 1 WiiMote/Nunchuck is all I need.

[kupomogli]

Then why'd you buy them?

He might mean he's used all the Wiimotes but not the Nunchukus.

[unwinddesign]

The price of the accessories sucks pretty bad. No one's forcing you to buy them, but I've found a lot of the 1p experiences on the Wii to be weak, especially in comparison to the more fleshed out offerrings on the 360. I don't own a single Wii game that's really a good single player game (I don't have Zelda/Mario/Metroid...).

I really think the Wii is mainly a multiplayer system. That's where the fun is; looking ridiculous with friends. To that effect, I have 4 WiiMotes, 2 Nunchuks, 2 Nyko Perfect Shots and 4 Wii Wheels. Total cost is around...($120 + $20 + $30 + $45 = $215 -- goddamn Gamestop price gouging on the Wheels...). I think my friend bought two of the WiiMotes, so my actual investment is only like $130, which is palatable.

I think accessories are too expensive on all the systems. But Nintendo really should lower their prices. I can grab a 360 controller for $35, wireless and brand new from Amazon. A WiiMote costs $40...and if I want a Nunchuk, that's another $20. I know they're selling, but I just feel ripped off.

...probably why I haven't bought anything, not even a game, for the Wii since I went on a hunt for those Wii Wheels (when they were "rare") and ended up getting raped by Gamestop on the price.

All things considered, even though Nintendo charges way too much for shells (seriously, $10 for a wheel that is just injection molded plastic is a joke), a full set of wireless controllers + battery packs + charger for the 360 costs about $200 MSRP or about $160 if you snag 'em off Amazon. The Dualshock 3 is like $40 - $45 online. I paid $50 for my piece of shit official Wireless Headset for 360. The Rock Band 2 peripherals cost me $130 ($190 was the bundle, so sans $60 for the game...) Accessories have always been expensive. The worst part is, used controllers suck ass. It's just really *not* an option, unless you want nasty, broken pieces of shit. People spill stuff on my 360 controllers all the time. It sucks. =(

[ProgrammingAce]

The only reason i bought a wii is because i like to have friends over to play video games and i thought the Wii was a good for party games.

I bought the extra nunchucks and controllers when i bought mario party 8. I put the game in when i had a bunch of people over at my house, and we spent a half hour trying to figure out how to play. We eventually gave up and switched over to 16 person halo. I've never tried mario party again.

About a year later we smash brothers came out, and that was getting good reviews. So i bought that and had some people over. The general consensus was that the controls sucked. We tried every combination of control scheme the game had, but couldn't find anything that seemed "solid". So i went out and bought a pair of classic controllers, thinking the control scheme would be better. Low and behold you still can't use the damn D-Pad for movement, so those were pointless too.

I've yet to find a good party game for the wii that isn't wii bowling, so it's been sitting at my fiancee's house since november of 2007.

If i want to play a game by myself, i'll play one of the thousands of other games i own. I bought the Wii for parties, and so far it's sucked.

[The 1 2 P]

Multiplayer sucks anyway ... right guys? LOL

So basically you like playing with yourself? Got it:wink 2:

I haven't got too caught up in extra Wii accesories except the extra controller that came with Wii Sports. The only thing I'm thinking about getting in the future for it(accesory wise) is a memory card.

[kupomogli]

About a year later we smash brothers came out, and that was getting good reviews. So i bought that and had some people over. The general consensus was that the controls sucked. We tried every combination of control scheme the game had, but couldn't find anything that seemed "solid". So i went out and bought a pair of classic controllers, thinking the control scheme would be better. Low and behold you still can't use the damn D-Pad for movement, so those were pointless too.


If you have Gamecube controllers you can use those. If you don't then you'll have to buy some of those as well.

The classic controllers don't work on Smash Bros? If they take out the option of something that should work only to force you to purchase some other type of controller. That's fucking over your fans pretty badly. That's all Nintendo is about these days.

[chicnstu]

Low and behold you still can't use the damn D-Pad for movement, so those were pointless too.

It doesn't use the D-Pad because it wouldn't feel right for Smash Bros.

[c0ldb33r]

It doesn't use the D-Pad because it wouldn't feel right for Smash Bros.
Bahh... let the user make that decision. If someone wants to use the d-pad, let 'em.

[Oobgarm]

It doesn't use the D-Pad because it wouldn't feel right for Smash Bros.

No, it doesn't use the D-Pad since 'smashing' the control stick in different directions is part of the game mechanic. Not exactly possible with a digital pad.

[Rob2600]

He might mean he's used all the Wiimotes but not the Nunchukus.

But the nunchucks are sold separately. If CDiablo wasn't going to use them, he shouldn't have bought them.


i went out and bought a pair of classic controllers, thinking the control scheme would be better. Low and behold you still can't use the damn D-Pad for movement


If they take out the option of something that should work only to force you to purchase some other type of controller. That's fucking over your fans pretty badly. That's all Nintendo is about these days.


Bahh... let the user make that decision. If someone wants to use the d-pad, let 'em.

The Super Smash Bros. series has always been that way: no d-pad support. The series has been around since 1999, but some of you are acting like this is shocking news.

[Nature Boy]

but the cost of accessories is getting out of hand.

Accessories have *always* been a spot where the publishers make some *serious* cash. I can buy an Arcade 360 for $199, but if I want a second controller I have to spend $50? That's 25% of the cost of the unit! And it's not even wireless! That's not going to change as long as we keep paying for it.

[chicnstu]

No, it doesn't use the D-Pad since 'smashing' the control stick in different directions is part of the game mechanic. Not exactly possible with a digital pad.

That's what I said and meant, did you see that "Smash" was italicized?

[c0ldb33r]

The Super Smash Bros. series has always been that way: no d-pad support. The series has been around since 1999, but some of you are acting like this is shocking news.
Well then it should have d-pad support now. It's never too late to correct a mistake!

[ProgrammingAce]

The Super Smash Bros. series has always been that way: no d-pad support. The series has been around since 1999, but some of you are acting like this is shocking news.

It does shock me that i can have a d-pad on my controller, but there's no way for me to use it in a fighting game. This is 2009, time to start allowing me to map my own controls. Smash brothers gives me 6 different control schemes, and none of them include the D-Pad? WTF?

The reason you couldn't use the D-Pad on the N64 version is because the controller was designed by a retarded chimpanzee. You can't hold the controller with the D-Pad part and still press the "Z" button. By the time the Gamecube came around, they fixed this limitation, and there's no reason the sequel shouldn't have included the controls.

The N64 had a much harder analog stick, it was much more difficult to press it in the wrong direction. The wii's analog sticks are really loose and it's far too easy to press in the wrong direction.

I can usually manage it pretty well with only a few errors. My fiancee on the other hand keeps jumping off the sides of the map when she's trying to move. The controls are too frustrating for her. The whole point of buying the game was to play with my friends like we did back on the N64, now none of them will touch it because the controls are too loose.

[BydoEmpire]

Wii Remote x3: $40 = $120
Nunchuck x3: $20 = $60
Classic controller x2: $20 = $40
Plastic Wheel x2: $15 = $30
Nyko Gun x1: $15
Well sure it's expensive, but you bought two plastic wheels? I don't know why anyone would even buy one. A nyko gun? THREE nunchucks and wiimotes and two classic controllers? I mean, it's expensive if you buy EVERYTHING there is to buy. Four ps3 dualshock3s, a 52" plasma and a high-end 7.1 surround system is expensive as well.

As for the Wii as a party game system, I tend to agree. I play it single player or online 99% of the time. There are a billion party games for Wii, but they're pretty much shovelware. I'm not sure what party games people are referring to. Carnival Games is supposed to be decent, and the first Rayman was really fun.

[ProgrammingAce]

Well sure it's expensive, but you bought two plastic wheels? I don't know why anyone would even buy one. A nyko gun? THREE nunchucks and wiimotes and two classic controllers? I mean, it's expensive if you buy EVERYTHING there is to buy. Four ps3 dualshock3s, a 52" plasma and a high-end 7.1 surround system is expensive as well.

I bought enough controllers for the people i invited over for a party. Isn't that what the Wii was designed for? I mean, i bought the stuff i needed to play the games i have with the number of people that were there.

Besides, i hardly think that the nyko gun and 2 wheels were what put this over the edge.

Hell, i only own 5 games for the system.

[Lord_Magus]

I really think this topic has been blown out of proportion.

Yes, accessories for consoles are/have always been expensive, but going out and buying 4 sets of nun-chucks and Wiimotes before even making sure you enjoy the party games you mentioned sounds more like poor buying habits to me, rather than a problem with any of the actual products you mentioned.

I mean, that's like including the price of an HDTV and surround sound setup to the price of a PS3, launching the cost of playing Killzone 2 "as it was intended" to beyond $2000, and then realizing you don't even like FPSs enough in the first place...

By the way, for Brawl the Gamecube controller is the way to go. If you gave up on the game because of the other control schemes, I strongly suggest giving it another shot with the GC joypad :)

[Icarus Moonsight]

I really think this topic has been blown out of proportion.

Yup. Caveat emptor anyone? They're options people, if you chose to buy too much don't blame someone else for your own lacking restraint. Thine be the culprit. One final cliche fragment; A fool and his money...

[crazyjackcsa]

I'm breaking this off of the Natal vs. Sony's mo-cap software thread because it's seriously off topic.

I think it's an important issue on the ownership of the wii, the accessories for standard play are more expensive then the console itself now.



Sure:

Wii Remote x3: $40 = $120
Nunchuck x3: $20 = $60
Classic controller x2: $20 = $40
Plastic Wheel x2: $15 = $30
Nyko Gun x1: $15

120 + 60 + 40 + 30 + 15 = 265

I haven't bought anything outrageous, just the standard accessories. They add up pretty quick. I didn't buy Wii Fit for an extra $90 or Wii Speak for whatever that sells for. You can call me stupid for buying extra wheels for mario kart, but i was having a party and thought the game might be more fun that way.

Add on Motion+ for 4 controllers and i'm looking at $345 just in standard controllers, putting my total wii expenditure at $555 without a single game (i got mine used without wii sports for $210 back in spring of '07).

Even at bare minimum, you're looking at spending $260 on 3 remotes, 3 nunchucks, and 4 Motion+. That's just to play the new games family style like they're designed.

I think this has been brought up before, Oh yes, it has. And comics have been made about it:

http://www.penny-arcade.com/images/2003/20030825h.gif

Things cost money, if you don't see a value in a product, don't buy it.
The real bare minimum? I own one controller, and one Nunchuk, included with system. You want to play with me? Bring your own stuff!
I play the wii ware games with a Wavebird (which I already had) or the remote.

[kupomogli]

The Super Smash Bros. series has always been that way: no d-pad support. The series has been around since 1999, but some of you are acting like this is shocking news.


The point is, the shitty Wiimote allows you to disconnect the Nunchuku and play it like using a standard controller. The Wiimote is the most uncomfortable controller ever when using it like a regular controller(regardless if you're playing SSBB or any other game.)

Why can I play the game using "THE D-PAD" with the shitty Wiimote but you can't use "THE D-PAD" while using the classic controller? Since the Wiimote can do it it makes no sense that they disable the exact same feature on the classic controller except to fuck over customers which should be Nintendo's slogan they do it so much.

*edit*

Also the Crystal Chronicles thing is a legitimate complaint. I have two Gamecube controllers and at the time of having Crystal Chronicles, a friend of mine didn't have a GBA(oh shit, can't play multiplayer.) It's obvious that this was some sortof bs idea by Nintendo to push more GBA sales because having controller support obviously wouldn't have made gameplay suffer.

There's also the fact that you have to purchase GBA to Gamecube adapters for each unit(more money towards Nintendo.) If everyone actually has all the items, playing multiplayer on Crystal Chronicles can be compared to paying for an MMO or being inconvenienced with cords running all over the place as you'll be using either, batteries which you have to pay for or GBA adapters going every which direction to plug into outlets.

[joshnickerson]

Probably just should've named this the "General Wii Bitchery Thread", cause that's what it's turning into.

[Enigmus]

Probably just should've named this the "General Wii Bitchery Thread", cause that's what it's turning into.

I agree. This has gone from accessory cost to Nintendo fanboy bitching.

[Daria]

If everyone actually has all the items, playing multiplayer on Crystal Chronicles can be compared to paying for an MMO or being inconvenienced with cords running all over the place as you'll be using either, batteries which you have to pay for or GBA adapters going every which direction to plug into outlets.

Umm... I have the setup to play 4 player Crystal Chronicles (but I don't. I play 4 Swords instead). However, it's never just a spur of the moment event, gathering four people to play anything together never is. So like an intelligent person, I charge my SPs in advance.

[sisko]

At launch, this was the price breakdown for the Wii:

Graphics chip: $29.60
CPU: $13.00
DRAM: $7.80
Optical disk drive: $31.00
Power supply: $11.30
Manufacturing cost: $19.50
Cost total: $158.30
Wholesale price: $195.99

So they were making $30 per console and the stores were making $50. After almost 3 years in production, i'm sure they've gotten the costs down substantally from there.

So they're making a healthy profit from the consoles themselves, then gouging on all the accessories on top of it.

I don't begrudge a company for making money, obviously the crap sells at this price. I've just had enough, i'm not spending another dollar on Wii accessories. It looks like that decision is going to keep me from playing any newr games after Motion+ takes off.

So overall, the wii was a giant waste.

You forgot all of the related costs like marketing, R&D, overhead, etc etc. Those add up fast, and I bet the total cost per unit is closer to (or higher than) the $200 mark.

[kupomogli]

Umm... I have the setup to play 4 player Crystal Chronicles (but I don't. I play 4 Swords instead). However, it's never just a spur of the moment event, gathering four people to play anything together never is. So like an intelligent person, I charge my SPs in advance.

Where's the intelligence in buying an SP over the original GBA other than the light and rechargable battery? I see more intelligence over buying a rechargeable battery pack, which means you're going to waste even more money playing Crystal Chronicles regardless(though I do own a rechargable battery pack.)

I'm only assuming that you've owned the original GBA seeing as how long it was out and the fact that you seem to like video games, atleast enough to get an entire PSX RPG collection. So buying one SP, or even four of them which it seems you did by your quote, is far less intelligent since the original GBA is the much superior system design wise than the crappy SP. This is all aside from being backlit and having a rechargeable battery pack(both cost effective on doing the same things to the GBA.)

Let me go over the things wrong with the SP. First off there's all the buttons. The start and select have an odd placement and definitely not as good a position as on the GBA, atleast in accordance to effectiveness(if you need to switch back and forth to and from missles on Metroid or pause the game really quick or whatever you need one of those two buttons for.) The B and A buttons are smaller but also further placed out(I mean what the fuck?) The L and R buttons are extremely ackward with the fact that they are literally 90° angles, unlike the sortof ovalish design of the SNES and the angled/curved design of the GBA. Last and probably the worst of it. If the SP wasn't shitty enough with its design as is, they also came up with the bright idea of putting the ability to hold the cartridge on the bottom, and this is just fine with a GBA game, but what about GB or GBC? When I'm playing a portable, I'm either standing, sitting down with it resting on my lap, or laying down playing it, but with this shitty design and using a GB/GBC game you're going to have it pressing both into your leg and possible mess up the game, same with lying on the bed as you can't rest the system on the bed can you(without possibly bending the game?)

Also. You still forgot the fact that you'd need to purchase four GC to GBA connectors. Just an easy way for Nintendo to funnel more money out of the customer.

Best designed handheld ever.
http://www.coranac.com/tonc/img/hardware/gba.jpg

It's crappy successor.
http://www.coranac.com/tonc/img/hardware/gba-sp.jpg

[Daria]

...snip.

I own an original GBA but haven't touched it since getting an SP. The lighting was a huge issue for me although I think I own one of the best lighting accessories for the GBA (save an after burner mod).

My husband also owns an SP.

My extra two SPs were confiscated from the lost and found at work before hitting the good will (I work at an elementary school). So no, I didn't spend tons of money on the setup.

My point about charging the batteries before playing so you don't have a mess of spagehetti wires still stands. And if I had four original GBAs I'd use rechargable batteries and still charge them before use.

[Icarus Moonsight]

Yeah, it's so crappy you can actually see the screen. DAMN THEM TO HELL! I spent all that time perfecting the zen art of blind gaming and they go and ruin everything (especially true in the case of Boktai). LOL

Oh, don't forget snake lights, lighted screen magnifiers and afterburner LED kits... I guess that's just Nintendo's way to make you spend more of your money, but they throw you off course because they didn't offer these accessories and forced you to go to a third party. Evil is afoot gentlemen... Beware.

EDIT: That comic up there got me wondering... He has three hookers coming over, why is the dude concerned about clothing or Final Fantasy? He should toss the gaming shit in the closet, shower in penicillin, fill a punch bowl with jimmy hats, load up on fluids and electrolytes (Brawndo has what hookers crave!) and crank up some slow jazz.

What we are dealing with in this thread is a failure to prioritize.

And kupo keeps making assertions that makes me wonder if he's just a sarcastic alt account.

And now I'm double spacing.

Maybe because I'm tired, bored or a combo of both.

And this thread is

Yeah, that's about it.

[Spartacus]

My daughter owns a Wii and she told me she bought her husband an off road racing game that included a steering wheel for $15. I think she said she bought a light gun for $15. To me these prices seem very cheap. I haven't seen them though, maybe they are just shells that attach to the Wii controller? She said her husband hated the racing game and doesn't play the Wii much, but she's still stoked about it and seems shocked I don't have one.
I guess I'm just waiting for a big price drop. When I read articles like this one it makes me think they could drop the price by nearly half and still make a profit.
http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=23091

So far I've only seen about a half a dozen titles that pique my interest for the Wii. From what I gather, anyone who publishes a title that might interest me finds the Wii crowd less than receptive to that kind of software.
http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=23255

[noname11]

resale value should be high for these controllers, shouldnt it?


then you can play with them all you want and resell them used. take the loss as a rental fee.


at least that's what i would do